To Have & To Hold
by MorningLight29
Summary: This is a one-shot sisterfic set just before the wedding of Bella & Edward. Bella's 8 year old sister, Sophie decides to take off frightening everyone and forcing things to be postponed all because of jealousy and a hint of fear.


This is a one-shot set just before the wedding of Bella & Edward. Bella's 8 year old sister, Sophie decides to take off frightening everyone and forcing things to be postponed all because of jealousy and a hint of fear. This story includes brief, disciplinary spanking of a child by an authority figure.

AN: I only own Sophie.

Sophie's POV

"The ceremony will be starting soon," Mom's voice came from the bathroom where she was putting the finishing touches on her make-up.

Already dressed for my role as flower girl, I was lying flat across my bed in the Cullen's home where Phil, Mom and I were staying for the weekend.

"Sophie Elizabeth, I mean it, get up!" Mom's voice was stern. I knew it was just nerves. She was struggling with the idea of giving her oldest up, but it wasn't all flowers and rainbows for me either.

"Hey there, princess," Phil's voice filled the room as he walked in wearing a tux. I'd never seen him so dressed up before. He and Mom eloped for their wedding and even then, they got married barefoot on the beach.

I didn't respond, only rolled over to stare at the ceiling.

"Phil, can you do something with her? She's getting her dress all wrinkled," Mom was flustered. "Sophia, this isn't funny. Alice is waiting downstairs to do your hair. Now, let's get moving."

"You want me to get moving? FINE!" I stood up on the bed and shouted before jumping down and running out of the room.

My mother's voice faded as I took off down over the stairs and out the door into the forrest. I kept running until I was out of breath and tripped over a tree root, tearing my dress and scuffing up my palms in the process. It was only then that I allowed the tears to fall. My sister was leaving me for a new family and it was never going to be the same again.

A twig snapped in the wind, drawing my attention to the trees around me. It was only then I realized just how lost I was. There was no way I'd ever find my way back to the house.

Angrily, I pulled myself up from the ground, wiping at the offending tears and smoothing down the tousled dress that was beyond repair.

"See if I care," I yelled into the wind. "I don't need any of you!"

With that, I journeyed further into the woods. They probably wouldn't notice I was even missing, but if they did, good...perhaps it would ruin the stupid wedding and then maybe they'd even have to cancel.

I smirked and continued on. In the distance, I heard water running, I worked my way toward the noise. The water felt good on my bare feet when I slipped out of my shoes and socks. There were blisters on the back of my heels from my jaunt in the woods. The water seemed shallow enough, and I wanted to cross over to the other side where purple flowers grew. Lifting my dress to keep it out of the current, I began to make my way across the rocks. I was about ¾ of the way when the current grew stronger and a dip in the riverbed threw me off balance. With a splash, I found myself under water. The current was too strong and when I screamed, my lungs filled with water. The river was dragging me downstream and there wasn't a thing in the world I could do to stop it. The rocky bottom scraped my legs and I somersaulted beneath the water as the current threw me around like a rag doll. My head knocked against a rock, sounding like thunder beneath the water. Blood mixed with water into a pinkish hue, and I became afraid that I might die. I needed to breathe...couldn't catch my breath...My head throbbed and darkness was closing in on me despite my struggles. I was about to give in to the darkness when a cold hand grasped my upped arm and ripped me up out of the torrent.

"Sophia!" Alice had me in her arms and moved faster than I believed possible to the river's edge where Jasper waited.

I coughed and sputtered trying to rid my lungs of dirty water. Alice set me down and knelt before me.

"What were you thinking? You can't just take off like that!" her tone was sharp as she lectured. "You scared us half to death!"

"Alice," Jasper pointed to the bloody water dripping from my hair. "We need to get her back to the house so Carlisle can clean her up."

"Oh, Soph," Alice shook her head then offered me a sad smile.

"Come on, darlin'," Jasper leaned over to lift me. "Up ya go!"

With that, I closed my eyes against the motion as we made our way back to the Cullen estate.

"Soph!" I heard Bella yelling my name as she ran down the stairs toward us as we cleared the woods. "Is she OK? Soph, you're bleeding!"

Phil and Mom were there as well. I could hear them putting in their two cents. It was all so overwhelming.

Carlisle was beside us in a second, placing a hand on Bella's shoulder to calm her before taking me into his arms and carrying me upstairs to his office.

Bella and Mom followed, but he stopped them just outside the door, "Darling, it's your wedding day. Sophia will be fine. Go back downstairs with Rose and Esme. We'll be down in a bit."

The women in my family were persistent and stubborn when they wanted to be, but Carlisle wouldn't have any of it and in the end he won. That's how I found myself perched on an exam table across from his heavy gaze.

"What happened to your head?" he asked with a blank expression.

"I hit it on a rock," I looked down at the floor, at the ceiling, anywhere but at him.

"And may I ask what you were doing when you hit it on rock?" he pressed.

"I..." I wasn't usually one for stuttering, but my voice was giving out on me. "I was trying to cross the river and I fell."

"I see," he sighed before beginning a quick neuro exam. Then he began pressing around on my skull asking me if this or that hurt. When he found the right spot, I flinched, hissing air through my teeth. "You, my dear, are very lucky you don't have a concussion. I am; however, going to need to clean this and then you're going to have to take it easy."

He was silent as he worked, "You want to tell me why you left?"

"I..." my throat felt tight and though I fought hard, a stray tear worked its' way down my cheek. "I know everyone is excited about the wedding, but...I don't want to lose my sister."

"Oh, sweet girl," Carlisle removed his gloves and took a seat beside me on the table so both our legs dangled over the edge. It made me feel almost as though we were equals. "Don't you know that you're not losing a sister? You, my dear, are gaining an entire family of Cullens who love you."

"But even after I ruined the wedding?" I sniffed.

"Ruin the wedding? No..." he shook his head and took my hand in his own. "You didn't ruin a thing...well," he gestured to my dress. "Perhaps the dress, you might have ruined the dress."

"Bella's going to kill me," I was suddenly very afraid of what the rest of my family might have to say as well.

"Bella will forgive you," he pulled my hand to his lips, pressing a kiss there.

The door flew open and my father burst through the door looking very handsome in his tux. His expression was filled with emotion as he drew me into an embrace. "Oh, my girl," he lavished my face with kisses and I cringed as his facial hair tickled my face. "Is she all right?"

"Except for some scrapes, bruises and an egg on the back of her head, she'll be fine," Carlisle reassured before standing up to clean the mess we'd made. "Alice will be right up to help you get ready."

I wasn't sure how he knew that, but like clockwork, Alice appeared in casual clothes with a warm towel which she wrapped around me.

"Give her a bath and wash her hair. Just be careful, but she should be fine," Carlisle instructed.

Dad helped me down off the table making sure I was stable before pressing a kiss to my forehead and letting me go. "We'll talk about this later," he promised. I knew we would.

Alice took me by the hand, leading me to the master bathroom where she helped me out of my filthy, torn dress and into the tub. Her words were few as she lathered and rinsed my hair. The water felt good; it was warm and soothing. I leaned forward resting my chin on my forearms which were stabilized against my knees.

"The ceremony has been pushed back a couple hours," she said at last, "And it looks like you are about good as new," she smiled, dabbing a bit of soap suds onto the tip of my nose. I giggled and splashed a handful of foam back at her. She lifted me up out of the water, drying me off with a clean towel and helping me into a different dress before setting me down on the toilet seat cover and setting to work, blowdrying and styling my hair.

She was just finishing up when there was a knock at the door. I looked up to see Edward standing there wearing an emotional expression. He looked as though he'd been through the ringer and I couldn't help but get the impression it was because of me.

"Alice, that will do," he dismissed her, gently. With a tight smile, she pressed a kiss to my forehead and slipped out the door. Edward didn't say a word as he closed it behind himself and came to kneel before me. Without a word, he pulled me forward into his arms, crushing me with an embrace.

"Edward, I can't breathe," I gasped as he released me. His gaze was intense with both concern and frustration.

"What were you thinking taking off like that?" he asked, gently.

"I..I.." I bit my lip and stood to press past him. He wouldn't have any of that.

"Sophie Elizabeth, sit down..." he ordered, sternly.

"No," I stated disobediently before reaching over to push him back so I could leave. Before I knew what was happening, I found myself facing the floor and Edward's hand peppering my backside.

"Ouch!" I yelled, angrily, reaching back to slap his hand away. He only pinned my hand and continued until I began to cry. When he was satisfied, I found my way to the center of his lap where he tipped my chin upward.

"I know I'm not your favorite person and you think I'm taking your sister away, but you're wrong. I have no intensions of taking her from you. My only desire is to have you both in my life. Charlie too. You were reckless today, and from what I hear, you nearly drowned. Do you have any idea what that would have done to your family? If you're angry, that's ok...get angry, but don't take off like that again or pull stupid stunts just because you're mad and want to show everyone. If this is a path you want to continue, I can promise you, my hand and your bottom are going to be on a first name basis."

I sniffled, wiping tears from my cheek with shame. He was right. I'd acted like a brat and I could only blame myself for my current, pitiful state. That's when the tears began to flow in earnest. "I'm so...sorry," I sobbed. And I meant it, every last word.

Edward held me close as I cried, my hand clasping his shirt as I tucked my face into his chin. As the tears subsided, he pressed a kiss to my temple. "Do you know what I was thinking?"

"What?" I hiccuped.

"Well," he wiped my tears and cupped my face in his palm. "I was thinking I've always wanted a little sister."

"You have?" I asked, peering up at him.

"That I have," he smiled, "Someone who I can...tickle!" With that said, he began to tickle me until my laughter filled the bathroom. "Now, that's what I like to see. You have a beautiful smile just like your sister. And that's one of the reasons I fell in love with her...and with you. Now, what do you say we go talk to Bella? Hmm?"

I considered this a moment before nodding and taking his hand. Together we walked downstairs to where Bella was pacing the inside of her temporary bridal suite.

"Oh, thank God," she crossed the room to greet us. "Is she OK?'

"She's fine except for a sore bottom," Edward winked at me and I blushed.

"I'm sorry, Bella," I whispered as she pulled me into a bone-crushing embrace.

"Do you realize I could have lost you today?" Bella exclaimed. "What were you thinking?"

"Sweetheart, I think there has been enough lecturing for one day. The point is, she was afraid you were leaving her and moving on."

Bella looked to her fiance then back to me, "Soph, is that true?"

My face distorted and before I could cry, she pulled me close once more, "I don't want to lose you."

"Kiddo, you're still my baby sis. Nothing can replace that. We've already talked to Mom about you coming to spend more time here with us and Charlie. We want you to go on vacation with us and everything. Our home is going to be yours always. I couldn't give up what we have. I wouldn't want to."

Everything Bella said was confirmed by the look of affection Edward gave me. Before I knew it, they both held me in their arms and I'd never felt safer.

"I'm sorry about the wedding," I said, finally.

Bella shrugged, "I never was one for all the glitz and glamour anyway."

Edward cleared his throat before pulling something out of his pocket. It was a small, black, velvet box. "I was going to wait until later, but something tells me this is the right time. For you."

"You got me a present?" I asked, suddenly feeling shy. My fingers worried the edges of the box.

"Go ahead, open it," he prompted.

Inside the box lay a smaller though in all other ways identical charm bracelet to the one Bella wore. I squealed with delight as Edward secured it to my wrist.

"Now, how about we get married!" he grinned.


End file.
